1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system which outputs data to other apparatuses, a communication terminal connected to a data output system, a data output method applied to a data communication system, and a storage medium applied to a system constructed data output system and communication terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In searching for information, a searcher often gains access to a database on a network through a personal computer, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) or a telephone to acquire a desired search result.
Recently it has become popular for people (searchers) to connect to the Internet and obtain desired information.
If browser software is installed in a personal computer, PDA or the like, which is used in information searching, a user (searcher) can acquire information from any desirable homepage or a site which has been searched by a search engine.
A searcher can of course obtain various kinds of information from another apparatus/database located on a communication network without going through the Internet.
When a searcher uses any telephone (including a portable terminal or PHS), the searcher acquires desired information by manipulating buttons and the like in accordance with voice guidance.
Conventional database managing systems that are used on communication networks include a typical system named an OUS (Oracle Universal Server), a new generation information managing system by Oracle Corporation, which has separate storage areas in a server for different data attributes (image, voice and text) and manages image data, voice data and text data independently.
When a searcher (who uses a database via a communication network) accesses a database and requests information using a communication terminal with various functions and ability, like a personal computer, PDA or telephone, however, the aforementioned conventional server usually sends data, such as the result of the requested search, without considering the functions or ability of the communication terminal at the sender or the transmission destination.
Even if the server sends the search result to the communication terminal used by the searcher, the searcher may not be able to output the search result or the communication terminal may not be able to receive the search result, depending on the ability.
Suppose that the server acquires image data as a result of the requested search and sends the image data to the communication terminal of the searcher.
If the communication terminal does not have an image display function, the image data sent from the server appears as garbage, disabling a searcher to obtain the search result.
Existing cellular phones, when used as a communication terminal, are limited to transmit and receive electric mails (e-mails), except when they are used in data communication while being connected to a portable computer like a PDA, and cannot be used stand-alone to allow users to view homepages and the like.
As mentioned above, since the conventional servers do not consider the functions or ability of the communication terminal at the transmission destination at the time of outputting data to a searcher, the communication terminal at the data transmission destination cannot output the sent data, depending on the attribute of that data.